Rebecca Elder is an experienced cultural heritage preservation consultant who helps clients find practical and achievable solutions to care for their history collections. She collaborates with libraries, museums, archives, municipalities and families to tailor preservation plans to their resources and timelines.

Family story has it that Rebecca’s first word was book, much to her mother’s chagrin, and her interest expanded to history collections early. When she was a child, her parents would put her on the Washington, DC subway and send her to the Smithsonian for the day, instructing her to not call for a ride home until it was dark. Rebecca couldn’t believe her luck when she found out she could work in libraries, museums and archives as a career.

In 2014, Rebecca founded Rebecca Elder Cultural Heritage Preservation to provide preservation advice to clients holding history collections. Rebecca has also worked at Amigos Library Services, the Harvard University Libraries and the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History. Rebecca received her MSIS and a Certificate of Advanced Studies for Conservation of Library and Archival Materials from the School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin, and now is adjunct faculty at the iSchool, teaching Preservation Management and Treatment Techniques for Bound Materials.

Rebecca is a Professional Associate member of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. She also engages in professional service with the American Institute for Conservation, the Society of American Archivists, the Society of Southwest Archivists, the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums, and the American Association for State and Local History.

A superior client experience is a hallmark of Rebecca’s work, and her professional style is warm, relaxed and supportive. She works with each client to create a customized consulting plan, and then executes the plan with strong attention to detail and customer service. A training workshop with Rebecca will be filled with humor, stories from the field, and activities that help participants find ways to integrate the material into their own institutions.

Rebecca lives in Austin, TX with her four cats: Frankie, Princess Snowball, Thingy and Tucker. You can follow Tucker on Instagram and Facebook (@heytuckercat). Rebecca knits obsessively, collects smashed pennies, and isn’t afraid to admit that she loves 1970s white polyester jumpsuit Elvis. Looking to connect? Head to our contact page. She’ll be glad you did.